R.I.P. Doghouse Riley

I have just been informed by a reliable source that Doghouse Riley, blogging at Bats Left/Throws Right has passed away. Doghouse was, of course, a nom de blog. I don’t know that I’m at liberty to unmask him, so I won’t. (Edited to add: As reflected in the comments, Mrs. Doghouse has given permission to let it be known that James Briggs Stratton “Doghouse” Riley had a given name of Doug Case, and his obituary can be found here.)

However, my deepest sympathies go out to his “Poor Wife” (as he consistently called her.) I always got a kick out of his consistently referring to me as “brave Hoosier blogger Doug Masson” and will sincerely miss having Doghouse refer to me in such a way.

But, most of all, I will miss his writing. He was firey and more passionate in his beliefs than I probably will ever be. He had a gift for language to which I can only aspire. And, with his departure, we have become less than we once were.

Comments

That’s very sad to hear. Condolences to his family and friends, should they happen to read this. I always thought of him as a Hoosier version of Matt Taibbi–perhaps occasionally a bit too quick with the outrage, but man, when he was right he was right. I was really looking forward to what he had to say about the Tony Bennett scandal. RIP, indeed.

I love reading local political blogs, but (and no offense, Doug), Doghouse’s posts (especially about Mitch Daniels) made me laugh more than anyone else’s stuff online. I hope he’s in a better place now, and surely he’s thinking of a great write-up of the Tony Bennett story. I’ll never again think of Indiana as anything more than a “Midwestern States Governed By Surly Megalomaniacs With Napoleonic Complexes.”

All the above and more…I’ve been reading Bats Left/Throws Right for a couple of years, and I’ll miss Doghouse’s sharp wit and sharper writing. He’ll be missed by everybody except those who he delighted in skewering.

Doghouse was a great writer. I often disagreed with his conclusions, but couldn’t deny his ability to turn a phrase. His caustic attacks could leave a mark. Most memorable to sting me: “Reader, I’m assuming you’re an adult, which means you’re just as flummoxed as I by the phenomenon of people over 25, with IQs at or above bathwater, openly proclaiming themselves libertarian.” Damn, that stung… but gotta admire the wordsmithery. I was laughing and wincing at the same time. The man had talent.

And I would not even have known about Doghouse Riley, his sudden death, and his very interesting website had I not read your post this morning. Thanks for this introduction. The fundamental fact of our existence as modern men and women is that the bankers of New York and London want to reduce us to debt slavery.

Coming to this just a bit late, but I am crushed. Mr. “Riley” was not only a fellow progressive, he was consistently one of the funniest writers I follow. My deepest sympathies to his Poor Wife and family. The world has lost a great one….and yet Karl Rove and Dick Cheney still draw breath. There is NO JUSTICE in this world (not that I expected any.) R.I.P.

A long time ago I discovered Bats Left Throws Right. It was back in the aught’s and he somehow had found a picture of me that had been uploaded to the Net by an ex (who never admitted it). The photo showed me with my head in Ronald McDonald’s lap. I know it was me, because the photo was from a road trip where I wore the same clothes a lot of the time, and yep there were those clothes and shoes. He said he’d just pulled it off the net. But I started reading it and loved the blog. He did have a very very sharp pen. Does anyone know how he died? Was he sick? I just found this article because I was thinking of him. I’m from California but great writing is thrilling to find. I’m surprised and devastated.